This invention relates to anchoring apparatus for anchoring a mining installation such as a conveyor and/or a coal-winning installation for use in underground mining operations.
Known anchoring apparatus includes an anchor beam which is secured in position by means of anchoring elements which are anchored in the floor of a mining excavation and which can be prestressed with the aid of tensioning devices. Such apparatus is provided, particularly where a coal seam has a large dip, for anchoring a longwall conveyor and coal-winning installation in, or in the area of, the top roadway leading to the longwall face. In this connection it is known to secure the anchor beam in position using hydraulic anchor props or anchoring elements which are anchored in the floor. The use of anchoring elements has the advantage that the cross-section of the roadway is not blocked as is the case when hydraulic anchor props are used. Moreover, anchoring elements allow firm anchoring of the anchor beam even where the floor is composed of friable rock. It is, however, necessary to provide boreholes in the floor, the anchoring elements being inserted into the boreholes and encased in concrete or secured in some other way. In this connection it is necessary to ensure that the boreholes are drilled in the correct positions and at the correct inclinations in order to ensure that the anchoring forces are transmitted through the prestressed anchoring elements into the floor rock.
It is the primary object of the invention to provide anchoring apparatus for anchoring a mining installation, particularly a conveyor and coal-winning installation for use in longwall operations, which, without exact positioning and the installation of the boreholes allows safe anchoring of the anchor beam, and at the same time permits simple and reliable prestressing of the anchoring elements independently of the actual inclination of the boreholes.